New Commission MY OLD MAN (AND OTHER STORIES) to Open This October at Dixon Place

Dixon Place presents its new commission MY OLD MAN (AND OTHER STORIES) - a collection of theatrical short stories by the acclaimed performer, writer, and downtown favorite Jess Barbagallo (Half Straddle, The Big Dance Theater).

The show begins performances on Friday October 7th at 7:30 PM and will play a limited run of six performances only - October 7th, 8th, 14th, 15th, 21th, and 22th, at 7:30 PM, at Dixon Place (161A Chrystie Street). Tickets are $18 in advance, $22 at the door, and $15 for seniors and students and can be purchased by visiting www.dixonplace.org or by calling 866-811-4111.

MY OLD MAN (AND OTHER STORIES) is a collection of theatrical pieces featuring whimsical characters desperately looking for emotional connection. Conceived as a surreal comedy, the play takes inspiration from pop culture and pulp entertainment to deliver a poignant and ironic take on the universal need for love.

This production marks the full-length directorial debut for Jess Barbagallo, an acclaimed performer & longtime downtown favorite known for playwriting marked by keen eye for human emotions, queerness in all its forms, and absurdist sense of humor. Asked about his inspirations for this work, Barbagallo names the old-school movie comedies of the 1940s and '50s, Jeff Koons' famous Made in Heaven series, the TV show Dynasty, performance art - and his own experience as an academic teacher. "This is the first time I am not sharing the director's chair with anybody, focusing on finding the right staging for my own writing, but strangely enough, MY OLD MAN (AND OTHER STORIES) is more of a collection of short stories from a queer universe, says Barbagallo.

The creative team includes Barbagallo's longtime collaborators Sound Designer Chris Giarmo and actress Emily Davis. The cast also features Monica Wyche, Gabriella Rhodeen, Aron Canter, Cecilia Gentili & Drae Campbell.

Jess Barbagallo is an actor, writer, dramaturg and director. As a performer, he has collaborated with Big Dance Theater, Theatre of a Two-Headed Calf (and its Dyke Division), the Builders Association, Half Straddle (of which he is a founding member), John Turturro (a touring European production of "Fiabe Italiane"), Tina Satter, Normandy Sherwood, Elisa Bent, Becca Blackwell, Andrea Geyer, Casey Llewellyn, Sibyl Kempson, and many others. Jess has written the plays Grey-Eyed Dogs, I'll Meet You in Tijuana, Saturn Nights, Men's Creative Writing Group, Good Year for Hunters & Great Romance. His playwriting work has been presented at Dixon Place, La MaMa ETC, Soho Rep's Writer/Director Lab, The Invisible Dog Art Center (where he was a resident playwright), and many other venues. Jess is partially responsible for the ongoing comedy Without Me I'm Something or Karen Davis Does... and brother project Joe Ranono's Yuletide Log and Other Fruitcakes. He was a 2014-15 New York Live Arts Writer-in-Residence and a 2015 Visiting Artist at the Theater Studies CoLab at Duke University.

This Dixon Place commission is made possible with public funds from NY State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo & the NY State Legislature, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and private funds from The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, & The Jerome Foundation.

The Dixon Place Lounge is open before and after the show. Proceeds from the bar directly support Dixon Place's artists and mission.

Dixon Place is located at 161A Chrystie Street (between Rivington and Delancey), in Manhattan's Lower East Side (By subway: B/D to Grand, F to 2nd Ave, J/Z to Bowery, 6 to Spring St, M to Essex St).

An artistic incubator since 1986, Dixon Place is a Bessie and Obie Award-winning non-profit institution committed to supporting the creative process by presenting original works of theater, dance, music, puppetry, circus arts, literature and visual art at all stages of development. Presenting over 1000 creators a year, this local haven inspires and encourages diverse artists of all stripes and callings to take risks, generate new ideas and consummate new practices. Many artists, such as Blue Man Group, John Leguizamo, Lisa Kron, David Cale, David Drake, Deb Margolin and Reno, began their careers at DP. In addition to emerging artists, Dixon Place has been privileged to present established artists such as Mac Wellman, Holly Hughes, Justin Bond, Karen Finley, Kate Clinton and Martha Wainwright. After spawning a salon in her Paris apartment in 1985, founding Artistic Director Ellie Covan pioneered the institution in her NYC living room for 23 years. Covan was a recipient of a Bessie, a New York Dance and Performance Award and a Bax10 Award for her service to the community. Dixon Place received two Obie Awards, and an Edwin Booth Award for Excellence in Theater. Dixon Place has organically developed and expanded into a leading professional, state-of-the-art facility for artistic expression.

Pictured: Clockwise from top left: Monica Wyche, Emily Davis, Gabriella Rhodeen, Aron Canter, Cecilia Gentili, Drae Campbell. Photo by Peter Yesley.